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He Shi

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Carpesium abrotanoides L.

Not yet clinically reviewed

Family: Asteraceae Genus: Carpesium Species: abrotanoides Pinyin: He Shi
Carpesium fruit鹤虱

Traditionally used for

  • Digestion
  • Bowel health

Cautions & contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • Toxic — professional use only
Limited evidence · 2 studies

☯ TCM Properties

Category: anthelmintic
Temperature: neutral
Taste: bitter, pungent
Meridians: spleen, stomach
Functions:

Expels Parasites; Resolves Accumulation; Alleviates abdominal pain due to parasites

Traditional Chinese Uses

He Shi (carpesium fruit, hemlock parsley fruit) is a warm herb used in Chinese medicine primarily to expel intestinal parasites — particularly roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms — while also promoting the downward movement of Qi through the digestive tract. Unlike harsh purgative antiparasitic herbs, it is relatively mild in its digestive action, and its Qi-descending effect also addresses food stagnation and digestive bloating.

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Botanical Description

Carpesium abrotanoides L. (Asteraceae) is a perennial herb native to temperate East Asia (China, Japan, Korea) growing 50-100 cm tall, with branched erect stems, alternate ovate to lance-shaped leaves, and small drooping yellow-green disc-only flower heads (capitula) arranged in axillary clusters. After flowering it produces numerous small cylindrical achenes about 3-4 mm long, sticky-glandular and brown when mature. The medicinal He Shi is the dried mature fruit (achene), collected in autumn. The achenes contain sesquiterpene lactones (notably carabrone and carpesia lactone) responsible for the anthelmintic activity, along with volatile oil. In traditional Chinese medicine, He Shi is acrid, bitter, and neutral with slight toxicity, entering the spleen and stomach channels; it kills parasites, particularly roundworm, pinworm, hookworm, and tapeworm, and reduces childhood food accumulation, used most often in pediatric formulas for intestinal worms. Overdose may cause nausea, dizziness, or headache.

Active Constituents

Carabrone

Carabrane-type sesquiterpene lactone

One of the principal sesquiterpene lactones of the fruit and the constituent most often linked to the anthelmintic and insecticidal activity of the drug. It is also cytotoxic and insect antifeedant in laboratory assays.

Carabrol

Carabrane-type sesquiterpene lactone

The reduced congener of carabrone, isolated alongside it from the fruit and sharing its insecticidal profile.

Telekin

Eudesmanolide sesquiterpene lactone

A eudesmane-type lactone reported among the main bioactive constituents of the plant, with cytotoxic activity in tumour cell lines.

Carpesiolin

Guaianolide sesquiterpene lactone

A guaiane-type lactone characteristic of the genus, contributing to the cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activity of the whole extract.

11(13)-Dehydroivaxillin

Eudesmanolide sesquiterpene lactone

An alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone reported from the plant; the exocyclic methylene group makes it a Michael acceptor, which is the general basis for both the anti-inflammatory (NF-kappaB-suppressing) and the cytotoxic behaviour of this compound class.

Sesquiterpene lactone dimers

Dimeric sesquiterpene lactones

A structurally distinctive class of the genus, isolated specifically from the fruit of C. abrotanoides. They are among the more cytotoxic constituents identified and are chemotaxonomic markers for Carpesium.

Dosage

Form Amount Frequency Duration Population Notes
decoction 3–9 g Daily — — 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】3～9g。 【性味与归经】苦、辛，平；有小毒。归脾、胃经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value.

Evidence Tier

Limited evidence · 2 studies

Recorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.

Systematic review / meta-analysis

0

Randomized controlled trial

0

Other clinical trial

0

Observational / case report

0

In vitro / animal

2

1 verified · 1 unverified

Show 2 studies

Other / unclassified

0

Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description

Clinical Studies

Sesquiterpenoids from Carpesium abrotanoides and their anti-inflammatory activity both in vitro and in vivo

Zhang XF, Li HF, Liu H, Wei FL, Du JX, Liu JK, He J, Feng T (2024) Bioorganic Chemistry animal Verified: In vitro / animal

Isolated sesquiterpenoids from C. abrotanoides and showed anti-inflammatory activity in cell-based assays with confirmation in an animal model. Supports an anti-inflammatory action for the plant's characteristic lactones, but does not address the traditional anthelmintic indication or human dosing.

DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107684 Link

Carpesium abrotanoides ethanol extract alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis by suppressing inflammation and apoptosis

Kim A, Kim SY, Jo K, Son E, Kim CS, Kim DS, Hwang YH, Lee YM (2025) Frontiers in Pharmacology animal

An ethanol extract of C. abrotanoides reduced colonic inflammation and epithelial apoptosis in the DSS mouse model of ulcerative colitis. Animal-only evidence for a gastrointestinal anti-inflammatory effect; no human data.

DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1672111 Link

⚠ Safety & Contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • Toxic — professional use only

Contraindications

Use with caution in pregnancy and in the weak or depleted.

Safety Warnings

  • An anthelmintic used at defined doses for short courses; not for prolonged use.

⚠ Toxicity Information

Level: slight
Toxic compounds: Sesquiterpene lactones (carpesialactone) and volatile oil.
Symptoms:

Nausea, dizziness and abdominal discomfort at higher doses.

Historical Texts

Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Tang Materia Medica)

Tang dynasty, 659
The source text for He Shi. It records the drug as governing roundworm and pinworm, taken as a powder in fatty meat broth at a dose of one square-inch spoon, or used in pills and powders, and notes the material as coming from the western regions.

Tang Ben Cao

Tang dynasty
Assigns the flavour and nature as bitter and neutral, with slight toxicity (you xiao du) — a classification the modern Chinese Pharmacopoeia retains.

Ben Cao Tu Jing

Song dynasty, 1061
Su Song describes the plant growing throughout the Jianghuai and Heng-Xiang regions and states that among worm-killing formulas this drug is the most essential, which fixed He Shi as the primary anthelmintic of the Chinese materia medica.

Chinese Pharmacopoeia (Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Yaodian)

Modern, 2020 edition
Defines He Shi as the dried ripe fruit of Carpesium abrotanoides L., bitter and acrid, neutral, slightly toxic, entering the Spleen and Stomach channels, for ascariasis, enterobiasis, taeniasis, abdominal pain from parasitic accumulation and childhood malnutrition-accumulation. Dose 3-9 g. Note that Nan He Shi, the fruit of Daucus carota, is a separate official drug and is frequently confused with this one in trade.

References

  1. Ibrahim SRM, Fadil SA, Fadil HA, Hareeri RH, Abdallah HM, Mohamed GA. Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemical Composition, Biosynthesis, and Pharmacological Activities of Carpesium abrotanoides L. (Asteraceae) . Plants (2022) [DOI]
  2. Wang YF, Fu Y, Ji YN, Shi NN, Sauriol F, Lu XH, Gu YC, Shi QW, Huo CH. Sesquiterpene lactone dimers from the fruit of Carpesium abrotanoides L . Phytochemistry (2022) [DOI]

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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